Whether you’ve gone for a spin and left your tyre levers in the garage or you’re worried about causing damage to your tube or rim, it’s always good to be able to get a tyre without resorting to levers. Plus, you get the added benefit of looking like a pro.
This technique will work for most tyres – excepting maybe the super-tight or brand new. It isn’t too difficult to master but it takes a bit of practice and it’s all in the set up.
Start by letting as much air as possible out of the tyre – make it easy for yourself.
Next put the wheel on the ground with the valve pointing up – towards you
Put your hands either side of the tyre at about the 5oclock and 7oclock positions and start to squeeze the tyre down towards the floor
Keep pushing down the tyre keeping the pressure on – the aim is to stretch as much tyre down to the bottom as possible
Once you get to about 10oclock and 2oclock position – at this point clamp your hands over the tyre and the rim and try to maintain the pressure and stretch you’ve achieved
Lift the wheel and push it into your stomach, continue to squeeze along the tyre until you get enough overlap at the bottom to pull the tyre up and off the rim –
Ease the tyre up and off the rim
… and the jobs a good’un!
You can also use this method in reverse to fit challenging tyres, try it at home.
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Catherine Thompson – Head Mechanic and Instructor, Outspoken Cycles
Outspoken Cycles work to encourage people to use bicycles more, particularly as an effective means of transport. They offer leisure and professional bike maintenance courses as well as bike repairs and traditional bike shop services.
We organise fun, dynamic and unique cycle themed events from smoothie bikes to pedal-powered cinemas. Through these we aim to get people inspired about cycling.
We run courses and initiatives throughout the country but our inspiration comes from where we started – in Cambridge, the UK’s city of cycling. We have a dedicated team who make it their mission to show others how much (fun!) can be done on a bike.